It was all smiles, handshakes, and yearbook signings when China’s Premier Li dropped in on Anthony Albanese, and there was no sign of the tension that’s plagued the two countries in recent years.
The visit to Parliament house came a day after Qiang Li promises that Adelaide Zoo would take delivery of some fresh pandas to replace the old ones.
Crowds protesting China’s actions in Tibet and Hong Kong clashed with pro-China counter-protestors.
With tension also between Aussie journalist Cheng Lei, once imprisoned in China, and Chinese officials, who she claims deliberately blocked her view as she tried to report on the ceremony.
The Prime Minister was doing his best to be diplomatic while the cameras were rolling, acknowledging the divisions but avoiding specifics.
So is this visit just PR, or a crucial step in addressing the very real chasm between the two countries?
Vicky Xu is a journalist who has received death threats after reporting on a Chinese labour camp, she was at the protests and told The Project they only became violent after the police arrived.
“A friend of mine was attempting to burn a Chinese Communist Party flag on the lawn in front of the Parliament House and he was told by the Australian police he could not do that, so he stopped and he did not keep trying,” Xu explained, adding “Then the police tried to confiscate his flag which he refused and the police tried to take the flag by force.”
Xu claimed that once she questioned why the police were doing this “one police officer laid a hand on me.”
“I said ‘Excuse me, you are not allowed to touch me.’ Next thing I knew I had five or six police officers surrounding me and shoving me around and taking me down. Then I was down,” she said.
“One police officer put a hand on my neck and another one took my hand and squeezed my fingers so I have a slight injury from the excessive force used by the Australian Police today.”
Xu said she wasn’t surprised by Cheng Lei’s claims that Chinese officials deliberately tried to block her views.
“Australian Parliament staff did a wonderful job from preventing Chinese staffers from doing that,” Xu said.
“I would love to see more of her with the Chinese Premier being present and without.”
